Lutheran Laymen's League

Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM) is a Christian outreach ministry affiliated with the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, Lutheran Church - Canada and Lutheran Women in Mission (LWML). Its mission is "Bringing Christ to the Nations—and the Nations to the Church". LHM's flagship radio program, The Lutheran Hour, is one of the longest-running Christian radio broadcasts, was at one time the most-syndicated, and the speakers have been some of the most-heard preachers of the 20th century. The supporters of The Lutheran Hour helped its founding organization, the Lutheran Laymen's League, become a multimillion-dollar Christian missionary foundation.

Today, Lutheran Hour Ministries produces Christian radio and TV programming for broadcast, as well as Internet and print communications, dramas, music, and outreach materials. It has ministry centers in dozens of countries around the world.

The Lutheran Laymen's League (LLL) began in 1917 when 12 church members organized to pay off debts of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). It also created a pension fund for church workers.

During the spring of 1917, pastor E. H. Eggers of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Seymour, Indiana, urged Albert Andrew Henry (A.H.) Ahlbrand, a prominent member of the congregation, that Ahlbrand write an outline of a business corporation for the Synod. Ahlbrand suggested that the Synod have one man for a sales manager, with a salesman in every large district or group of smaller districts. These men were to be selected based on their qualifications for this work. They were to contact congregations in their respective territories and report their results each week to the sales manager. They were to encourage the congregations to increase their contributions for the work of the Synod. They were also to contact the Synodical officials in the districts for their assistance in the effort. If these salesmen were not were not getting the results desired, the sales manager would have the right to ask them to resign and put another man in his place. Eggers suggested that Ahlbrand submit the plan to the Synod.

Since there was a $100,000 debt hanging over the Synod, a petition was presented by one of the Districts at the 1917 Convention that the Convention should not make any new appropriations until the present indebtedness was removed. With this thought in mind, a number of men, including Ahlbrand, met at the home of Fred Fritzlaff to discuss how to get rid of this debt. A. G. Brauer mentioned that he had endeavored to get 100 people to contribute $1,000 each so as to cover this, had not been successful. After some discussion it was proposed that the members state what they would contribute to pay off the debt. In taking a round table pledge, $26,000 was pledged. Discussed ensued on how to get others to contribute, so that the entire $100,000 could be paid. As a result, the LLL was organized. During these meetings, a Circuit Organizations of Laymen was proposed. The entire matter was suggested to Synod and both projects were accepted by a unanimous vote.

...
Wikipedia